Are you ready for your January 2010 muscle building goals? Start preparing for the new year and your new exercise program to build muscle fast by adding some of these muscle building tips to help you succeed. Building muscle requires a lot of work and dedication, but it also requires the use of smart techniques so as not to waste time in the gym. Here are 3 tips to help you build muscle. Fast muscle building makes it more fun!

BCAAs

Branched Chain Amino Acids are the 3 most commonly broken down amino acids in muscle tissue during a workout. To build muscle fast, a good strategy is to make sure you’re supplementing with additional BCAAs during your workout. They are part of any protein, but a very popular ratio is 4:1:1 or 4 parts leucine, 1 part isoleucine, and 1 part valine. The cheaper versions will have lower levels of leucine and that is the amino that has actually been shown to help promote muscle recovery for rapid growth. Add BCAAs before and during your workout to speed recovery and promote an environment to build muscle fast.

Protein time for muscle building

Everyone talks that you need a high protein diet to gain muscle mass but the truth has been greatly exaggerated and you don’t need as much as you think. The best way to build muscle fast with protein is to time your intake correctly. There is a 1 hour window after your workout where the body needs a lot of protein to recover. This is the most important protein meal of the day and you need a fast digesting protein. Use whey protein as it will digest faster and get to your muscles for optimal recovery and muscle building.

Sleep for Better Recovery and Hormones for Muscle Building

Many people can get by with not getting as much sleep, only getting 6-7 hours of sleep a night. Although you may feel like you’re working fine without 8-10 hours of sleep, it’s a muscle recovery killer. The hormones in your body are largely responsible for muscle growth and you need enough sleep to keep them at peak levels.

Lack of sleep will increase the stress hormone cortisol and this will erode muscle tissue and add fat to the midsection. Then, fat in the midsection decreases insulin sensitivity, making muscle building even more difficult. Reduce cortisol by getting 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Getting enough sleep will also ensure the release of growth hormone which will keep you leaner and more muscular. Optimize your hormones through sleep and muscle building will speed up.

high frequency training

We’ve already touched on supplements, protein timing, and sleep, so now it’s time to talk about training for optimal muscle growth. Don’t be afraid to increase the frequency of your training from time to time by training your muscles more often. Too many men are stuck on the one body part a day or once a week method and experience slow, non-existent gains.

Try high-frequency training for 3 weeks for a super muscle-building blitz. My favorite HFT show is Chad Waterbury’s 10 10 Transformation. He has two separate 3 week high frequency training workouts that will build 5lbs of muscle in just 3 weeks. He does both exercises and he will be 10 pounds heavier. Every time I start to stabilize, I bring up HFT workouts and my interest in building muscle kicks in as I see quick results. It’s so much more fun going to the gym when you build muscle quickly, so try these techniques and see what you can do in 2010.